Nvidia is not only using AI to accelerate graphics performance through various DLSS technologies (opens in new tab) and the design of the GPU itself, but is also looking to leverage AI to improve graphics drivers and increase performance by up to another 30%. This is the latest rumor.

According to CapFrameX (open in new tab) (via OC3D (open in new tab)), maker of frame-time analysis tools, Nvidia is working on an AI-enhanced graphics driver. While performance gains of up to 30% are touted, the average performance gain is a modest 10%.

CapFrameX expects new AI-enhanced drivers to be available in the first quarter of this year. If accurate, it won't be long.

Of course, the very notion of what constitutes AI is problematic. Actual machine learning techniques? Really good algorithms? A "coffee maker that turns on automatically" Ultimately, there is no universally agreed-upon standard or definition.

It is difficult to say exactly where any of NVIDIA's AI-enhanced technologies fall on that continuum; the temptation to make any new feature look even fancier by labeling it "AI" must be strong.

Most important, however, are the performance improvements. If Nvidia releases a driver in short order that provides an unusually large performance boost, that in itself would be a valuable benefit, regardless of whether it is characterized as an AI boost or what definition is used to make that claim.

Furthermore, there is no doubt that Nvidia has delivered several objectively impactful technologies under the AI banner in recent years. The DLSS platform, including the latest frame generation technology (open in new tab), has literally proven to be a game changer.

In other words, AI-enhanced graphics drivers may indeed be Nvidia's next big thing, and if the RTX 4090 runs 30% faster, it's certainly something to behold.

Incidentally, it is not clear which GPUs will benefit from these new drivers, assuming they do indeed appear. It stands to reason that the machine learning approach to building drivers could be applied to older GPUs as well as Nvidia's latest cards.

However, Nvidia may also choose to make this technology exclusive to the new RTX 40 series (open in new tab).